


Eternity in an instant

by whorl



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:02:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21868693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whorl/pseuds/whorl
Summary: Ben and Rey share a moment that lasts a lifetime
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 8
Kudos: 48





	Eternity in an instant

**Author's Note:**

> ***SPOILERS FOR RISE OF SKYWALKER***
> 
> No, seriously, spoilers. You've been warned.
> 
> Also, CW for character death. Which, if you've seen the movie, you already know.
> 
> So, I wrote this immediately after seeing Rise of Skywalker while waiting for my friend to finish her screening so we could discuss the film. (She's a big Reylo fan.)
> 
> P.S. Disney/Lucasfilm, please don't sue me, I only have roughly twelve cents...

He hardly believed it could be possible. Her hand moved, ever so slightly, and then her eyes opened. 

He had done it. She was alive.

They stared at each other, just beginning to comprehend the magnitude of his action. The cavern surrounding them was demolished, the sky above still dotted with fire. But they only saw each other. 

He had realized, finally, that what he had been feeling towards her had not been rivalry, or possessiveness, or hatred or jealousy, or any of the other dozens of emotions he had used to justify his behavior. It was love. He was in love with her, and he had just watched her die.

And yet, there she was, staring back at him, her eyes searching for answers in his. Would she remember? Could she forgive him, when he could not forgive himself? He held her, and he hoped.

In the space of a heartbeat, she reached for him. Her kiss assured him that they were of one mind. At last, in her embrace, he was flooded with a sense of peace.

As they pulled away slightly, their eyes locked, and time seemed to freeze, crystallizing in infinite pathways spiraling outward from where they lay. 

In that glittering instant, their minds locked in a vision of their shared future. 

The mundane—finding a ship that could carry two people off the ruins of the planet to safety. 

The impossible—convincing her friends that he had changed, that he was reborn as his former self. Some, they knew, would never be able to accept him after the horrors he had committed. 

The joyous—committing their lives to each other. Welcoming children into a world surrounded with peace, rather than fear. Guiding those children, and others, in the ways of the Force, focusing on healing and love. 

The small moments—lying together, gently caressing the scar on his chest, she remembered the day she had taken his one life. Both remembered how she had restored the other.

And the grand ones—reuniting every year to celebrate the heroes, living and gone, who were instrumental in restoring peace to the galaxy. Every year, the faces changed; the old guard replaced but not forgotten by those who continued to champion their cause. 

A lifetime of moments, shared. Eternity in an instant. He couldn’t help but smile.

And in the next heartbeat, he was gone. She caught him as he fell, laid him gently to the ground. She felt his spirit become one with the Force as his body faded away. She placed her hand where his body had once been, and spoke his name—his true name—to the stars above.

“Ben Solo.”

She lingered briefly, holding the shirt he had worn, still warm from his body. She would tell the others of his bravery in the end, of his redemption. Some would care. Some would remember.

But Rey would always have their moment.

Eternity.


End file.
